Not one protection scheme will stop piracy even if you put vital data on a server and make you access the internet to access it. Not even making it like an mmo but single player will work. The first idea will fail since the data needs to go to your computer to use it so can be captured from the internet and then the game would be cracked to check for the data on the local computer. With making it mmo like you do the same thing and make the game look on your computer instead of over the internet.

The only way to lower piracy is to make the games like mmo's and have a monthly fee so that they can hire people to generate content. You would have new content constantly on a timed basis and have special events every so often. This would make it simular to an mmo but in a single player type game.